How long a reach?The International Astronautical Congress is meeting in Beijing. But what, exactly, does China want from outer space?
Source – Economist, published Sep 28th 2013 |Originally from the Print Edition

Image source -Dave Simmonds

THE Soviet Union in 1961. The United States in 1962. China in 2003. It took a long time for a taikonaut to join the list of cosmonauts and astronauts who have gone into orbit around Earth and (in a few cases) ventured beyond that, to the Moon. But China has now arrived as a space power, and one mark of this has been the International Astronautical Federation’s decision to hold its 64th congress in Beijing.

The congress, which is attended by representatives of all the world’s space agencies, from America and Russia to Nigeria and Syria, is a place where eager boffins can discuss everything from the latest in rocket design and the effects of microgravity on the thyroid to how best an asteroid might be mined and how to weld metal for fuel tanks.

All useful stuff, of course. But space travel has never been just about the science. It is also an arm of diplomacy, and so the congress serves too as a place where officials can exchange gossip and announce their plans.

And that was just what Ma Xingrui, the head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and thus, in effect, the congress’s host, did. He confirmed that an unmanned lunar mission, Chang’e 3, will be launched in the first half of December. This means, if all goes well, that before the year is out a Chinese rover will roam the surface of the Moon. It will collect and analyse samples of lunar regolith (the crushed rock on the Moon’s surface that passes for soil there). It will make some ultraviolet observations of stars. And it will serve to remind the world that China intends—or at least says it intends—to send people to the Moon sometime soon as well.

Shenzhou 10 神舟十号 returns: Even when starving and purged of wonder, long-range propulsion never left the sights of the Chinese leadership in Mao’s era… That determination persists. That it is now expressive and spacefaring in the span of decades since is demonstrative of a particular resilience.

. . . Compared with its previous mission Shenzhou-9 last year, the Shenzhou X is no longer experimental but considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.

. . . China is the third country after the United States and Russia to acquire the technologies and skills necessary for space rendezvous and docking procedures, as well as supply manpower and material for an orbiting module via different docking methods.

The autonomous Tiangong project, first authorized in 1999 – culminates in an orbital station.

Astronauts (L to R) Zhang Xiaoguang, Nie Haisheng and Wang Yaping wave to the welcoming crowd after they go out of Shenzhou X spacecraft’s return capsule on Wednesday morning. [Photo/Xinhua]

Astronauts (L to R) Zhang Xiaoguang, Nie Haisheng and Wang Yaping wave to the welcoming crowd after they go out of Shenzhou X spacecraft’s return capsule on Wednesday morning. [Photo/Xinhua]

Three astronauts who completed China’s longest manned space mission returned to Earth safely Wednesday morning, marking another step forward towards the country’s goal of building a permanent manned space station by 2020.

The reentry module of Shenzhou X landed safely on a sun-lit prairie in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at about 8:07 a.m. Wednesday. All three astronauts were in good physical condition.

Nie Haisheng, commander of the Shenzhou X crew and a second-time space traveler, was the first to emerge out of the bowl-like module, followed by Wang Yaping, the only female astronaut of the mission, and Zhang Xiaoguang.

During a brief welcoming ceremony held at the landing area, the astronauts waved merrily to a crowd composed of military officers, the search and recovery team, and health personnel.

“It feels really good to be back home,” said astronaut Nie Haisheng.

“We are dreamers, and we have now fulfilled our dream,” said Zhang Xiaoguang. “Our space dream knows no boundary, and our hard work will never cease,” he said.

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli arrived at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center Wednesday morning and watched the live broadcast of the return and recovery of Shenzhou X there.

Zhang delivered a congratulatory note on behalf of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, celebrating the success of the Shenzhou X mission.

The Shenzhou X is China’s first application-oriented space flight.

Compared with its previous mission Shenzhou-9 last year, the Shenzhou X is no longer experimental but considered an applicable shuttle system for transporting astronauts and supplies to orbiting modules.

The mission aims to further test technologies designed for docking and supporting astronauts’ stay in space, as well as to use new technologies related to the construction of a space station, a spokeswoman for China’s manned space program told the press prior to the launch of the Shenzhou X spacecraft on June 11.

In its 15-day journey in space, Shenzhou X docked with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-1 twice, once through automatic operation and the other manual.

The astronauts spent 12 days in Tiangong-1, where they conducted space medical experiments, technical tests and delivered a lecture to students on Earth about basic physics principles.

The Shenzhou X mission was the first high-profile space mission after Xi Jinping took office as China’s President in March this year.

On June 24, Xi made a video call to the astronauts, during which he said “the space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger.”

“With the development of space programs, the Chinese people will take bigger strides to explore further into the space,” the President said.

China is the third country after the United States and Russia to acquire the technologies and skills necessary for space rendezvous and docking procedures, as well as supply manpower and material for an orbiting module via different docking methods.

Previous docking procedures conducted between Shenzhou-type spacecraft and the orbiting space lab included two automated dockings by the unmanned Shenzhou-8 in 2011 and both an automated and manual docking by the manned Shenzhou-9 in 2012.

The Tiangong-1 space lab has been in orbit for more than 600 days. It is designed to function for two years. The module is considered the first step in building a permanent space station in the future.

Since its first manned space mission in 2003, China has sent ten astronauts and six spacecrafts into the space.

A space lab will be launched in two years ahead of a key fueling experiment vital for the building of a space station, a leading official with the manned space program said.

Shortly after the lab goes into orbit, a freighter will be launched. Tests and research on the freighter technology have produced encouraging results, said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of the manned space program and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The space lab, Tiangong-2, will be built using backup craft for the Tiangong-1 space module.
Tiangong-1 was launched in September 2011. Tiangong-2 will have a number of upgrades and modifications, the most important being its ability to refuel from the freighter, he said.
China will work to build a space station after the Tiangong-2 space lab completes its mission, Zhou added.

So it seems a wider international audience is getting a healthy dose of Liu Yang, China’s little master stroke to fan the flames of public imagination in the second largest news weekly from the US. A public relations chess move a few games ahead, perhaps? And on page 8 too, a number the Chinese value as prosperous. Titled Liu Yang: China sends a woman to the final frontier, the piece by Melinda Liu is one of few positive China stories that gets international attention nowadays.

This Newsweek report reveals that while China’s first taikonaut Yang Liwei’s 2003 flight was not broadcast live, more than 250 media outlets were at the remote Gobi desert to watch blastoff. The move to have a woman on board, it is reported was to also fulfill expectations of the public on top of the fundamental aim of advancing human spaceflight. If China’s aim was to be on equal footing as the US, then this may be one area where it has done better already.

For decades China was third behind the US and Russia in the rocket race. So, the Chinese have come a long way since the successful launch of the Dong Feng 1 东风 guided rocket launch in 1960. As the rise of China coincides with the power dilution of these two cold war icons, an opening seems ripe for China’s grand entrance; and one with tones of gender equivalence one, 52 years later at that at a time the US retires its shuttle fleet. Read the rest of this entry »

Dragon space (That is how Space Daily vividly parks its articles on China) seems to beupon us as perceptions of the credibility gaps of China’s $6b human spaceflight programme are beginning to be put paid with its recent space docking success. Dr Morris Jones takes a close look at the acceleration of China’s space program, a part the Chinese see as one vital cog in developing comprehensive national power.

The success of the first crewed expedition to China’s first space laboratory represents a major step forward for China’s space program. China has made steady advances in spaceflight since its first astronaut was launched in 2003, but its space program has often been downplayed by international observers.

It was easy to point out the gap of several decades between China’s first astronaut launch and those of Russia and the USA. Gaps of years between successive human space missions further added to the perception that China was moving almost too slowly to notice.

The launch of the Tiangong 1 module and its successful operations with astronauts from the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft is more than just another steady step forward. It represents a substantial increase in China’s space capabilities, which are growing far more quickly than even some aerospace analysts are prepared to admit.

“That the government permitted this genius, this scientific genius, to be sent to Communist China to pick his brains is one of the tragedies of this century…” Grant Cooper, CALTECH appointed attorney in defending Qian Xueshen when he was accused of Communist sympathies.

This is a film I managed to catch on a recent flight, and it was coincidentally apt that I got to watch it whilst streaming through the skies high above. That it comes as at a time as China secures its permanent place in space with the success of the Tiangong mission also resonated. The historical biopic of the recently departed Dr. Qian Xuesen 钱学森 (see Encylopedia Brittanica entry on him here) released in March is the latest in Chinese cultural capital to assert its legitimacy for equity on the world stage.

Important to China as the father of Chinese aerospace, his role of establishing China’s long range ballistic defense program after spending years in the US makes him the quintessential Chinese sojourning Huaqiao hero. Read the rest of this entry »

China’s space program sees its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft complete China’s first manned space docking station with the Tiangong-1 space lab module. The new age for the politics of space have begun as more sovereign bits of shiny objects in our skies demarcate new lines of influence.

In a way, it could read as a master stroke move with China’s first female taiko naut taking away attention from the new battle lines for the days to come but I digress. It just fits the bill for a negotiated reading that Tao guang yang hui, gender equityand great public diplomacy come into play.

While the US programme has been accused of gender discrimination in the past (see story here by The New Scientist which attempts to debunk it), it seems on the surface at least that China did not take long to decide sending having a female taikonaut was a good idea. That said, China was able to learn from the lessons from the US which went through the women’s liberation in the 70s. If China got to space first, would it do what is doing now? I have no answers for that,mand perhaps such hypotheses is not important.

The politics of space has a new permanent human presence. China joins the US and Russia as the only countries to accomplish space docking after the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft docked with the Tiangong-1 experimental module 343km in orbit. Check out the CCTV annoucement below.

A video grab taken from the China Central Television on Nov.3, 2011 shows the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft docking with the Tiangong-1 space lab module. Unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 docked with space lab module Tiangong-1 early Thursday, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. Photo – Xinhua

Nearly two days after it was launched, the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 docked with space lab module Tiangong-1 at 1:36 a.m., marking another great leap for China’s space program.

The success of the docking procedure makes China the third country in the world, after the United States and Russia, to master the technique, moving the country one step closer to establishing its own space station. Read the rest of this entry »

A time to reflect beyond the state and terrestrial territory – the time for the politics of space has arrived with three nations having the ability to send people into orbit. Future extraterrestrial disputes to come?

China is developing its first full-fledged space station, called Tiangong (Heavenly Palace). Early tests of China’s skills at rendezvous and docking, shown in this artist's illustration, are set to begin in 2011. CREDIT: China Manned Space Engineering Office

China will launch a test module for its first space station next week between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30, state media reported today (Sept. 20).

The unmanned module, called Tiangong-1 (which means “Heavenly Palace”) will test autonomous docking procedures and other space operations in preparation for China’s plan to build a 60-ton space station by the year 2020.

Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of the Long March 2C satellite affect Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory? Tiangong (literally “heavenly palace”) is a planned crewed space station with origins from 1992 as Project 921-2. The political message of the Tiangong project has been broached by the BBC. How will the world make sense of this recent failure?

The recent failure of a Long March 2C satellite launch will certainly displease China’s spaceflight community. It raises another interesting question. Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory?

There are reasons to suggest that China could simply forge ahead with the launch, which is expected by the end of the month. Launch failures happen to everyone from time to time. The gremlins that plague one rocket don’t necessarily jump to others.

Some of these failures are caused by random problems that don’t repeat consistently, ranging from faulty parts to badly implemented procedures. Right now, we can expect that Chinese engineers are examining the potential causes of this recent failure, but it will probably take some time before they can reach any firm conclusions. Read the rest of this entry »